Analyze Cues is the second of the six cognitive processes in the NCSBN Clinical Judgment Measurement Model: linking the cues you recognised to the client's clinical presentation in order to work out what is probably happening. It turns findings into explanations — still before you decide which explanation matters most.
Items rarely name the step. They describe an action — so match the verb in the stem to the process it belongs to.
| If the item asks you to… | The step is |
|---|---|
| Notice, identify, collect or filter relevant findings | Step 1 · Recognize Cues |
| Link findings to a likely explanation, or interpret a pattern | Analyze Cues |
| Rank which explanation is the most urgent | Step 3 · Prioritize Hypotheses |
| Choose an intervention or an expected outcome | Step 4 · Generate Solutions |
| Carry the intervention out | Step 5 · Take Action |
| Judge whether the intervention worked | Step 6 · Evaluate Outcomes |
RR 28, SpO₂ 89% on room air, accessory muscle use, shallow breathing, denies shortness of breath.
Linking the low saturation, tachypnoea and shallow breathing to hypoxaemia from atelectasis is the analysis. The denial supports it: reduced lung expansion hurts, so the client breathes shallowly and avoids the pain.
Potassium 6.1 mmol/L, spironolactone prescribed, peaked T waves on the monitor.
Connecting the value, the drug and the ECG change into one explanation — hyperkalaemia — is Analyze Cues. The three cues were recognised in step 1; here they are joined.
Three hours of sleep, one meal a day, unintentional weight loss, flat affect.
Reading those reports as a pattern of inadequate intake with a possible mood component is analysis. It stays probable, not certain, until steps 3 and 6 test it.
A client with a potassium of 6.1 mmol/L has peaked T waves. They are prescribed spironolactone and report muscle weakness. Which action reflects Analyze Cues?
Analyze Cues. It links the recognised cues to the client's clinical presentation to establish the most probable explanation or client need.
Analyze Cues. If the item asks which explanation the findings support, it is analysis; if it asks which explanation comes first, it is Prioritize Hypotheses.
Analyze Cues generates and links explanations to the findings. Prioritize Hypotheses then ranks those explanations by likelihood and risk, so that action targets the most dangerous one first.
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